And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
Parallel translations
- WEB As many as don’t receive you, when you depart from that city, shake off even the dust from your feet for a testimony against them.”
- KJV And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.
- BSB If anyone does not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that town, as a testimony against them.”
- NASB And as for all who do not receive you, when you leave that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
- NLT And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Where they are not received, they are to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against that town. Rejection of the Gospel carries real accountability.
Overview
Jesus instructs the apostles to perform a symbolic act of separation where the message is refused. Shaking off the dust solemnly declares that the people, not the messengers, bear responsibility for rejecting God's word. It warns that to reject the Gospel is a grave matter before God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Acts 18:6When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”
- Acts 13:51But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came to Iconium.
- Matt 10:14–15Whoever doesn’t receive you, nor hear your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust from your feet.
- Mark 6:11Whoever will not receive you nor hear you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony against them. Assuredly, I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”
- Luke 9:53–56They didn’t receive him, because he was traveling with his face set towards Jerusalem.
- Luke 10:16Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
- Luke 10:10–12But into whatever city you enter, and they don’t receive you, go out into its streets and say,
- Luke 9:48and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me. Whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For whoever is least among you all, this one will be great.”
- Mark 9:37“Whoever receives one such little child in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, doesn’t receive me, but him who sent me.”
- Neh 5:13Also I shook out my lap, and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that doesn’t perform this promise; even be he shaken out, and emptied like this.” All the assembly said, “Amen,” and praised Yahweh. The people did according to this promise.
- Matt 10:18Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.
- Luke 5:14He commanded him to tell no one, “But go your way, and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing according to what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 9:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.